The present invention relates to stringed musical instruments and, more particularly, to a composite material guitar which is acoustically tailored by appropriate selection of composite materials and design to produce a desired appealing tonal quality. It also relates to a method of acoustically tailoring a string instrument by appropriate selection of composite materials and design, to produce a desired tonal quality selected from a broad range of tonal qualities which could be produced.
Many attempts have been made to find materials besides wood from which to fabricate string musical instruments, primarily because of wood's inherent fragility and sensitivity to temperature and humidity. With the dwindling worldwide forests of guitar woods, the need for alternate materials is growing. Composite materials have been used in musical instruments since the 1960s. The potential advantages of composites for musical instruments is widely recognized, and has been written about extensively, including in the "Composite Materials Handbook" (Mel M. Schwartz, 1984, McGraw-Hill, Inc.). Composite materials are inherently more durable and much less sensitive to humidity than wood. A typical wooden guitar top will absorb 10 percent water by weight and grow 0.25" in width due to a humidity change from 35% to 85%, changing the relative position of the strings, the internal stress states (it is not uncommon for wooden guitars to crack or break just due to humidity changes), and the overall response of the guitar.
In summary, composite materials offer an attractive alternative to wood for stringed instruments. The key advantages being (a) stringed instruments made from composite materials typically are more durable, less easily damaged, (b) they are much less sensitive to moisture and humidity, (c) they are stiffer and stronger, can be made thinner and lighter and therefore more responsive, and (d) they inherently are less damped. The fundamental principles discussed above have been known to luthiers (stringed instrument builders) for many years, and people have attempted to take advantage of the potential advantages of composite materials for over 30 years. For example, reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,656,395; 3,664,911; 3,699,836; 3,724,312; 3,880,040; 4,145,948; 4,213,370; 4,290,336; 4,969,381; 5,333,527; 5,546,874; and 5,469,769. The struggle has been to produce instruments with both the characteristic sound that musicians demand and all the advantages of composite materials. Previous composite instruments also have been costly.